Silverado 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton??

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Papa Bear

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Louisiana, USA
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Christopher
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Cryer
Alright everyone I'm looking to get my overland rig and have my sights set on a 2003-2006 Chevy Silverado (my favorite body style), crew cab to fit the family. Full-size truck is just the way to go for me. However my dilemma is I can't really decide if I should get a 1/2 or a 3/4 ton pickup (both would be gas engines, not planning on getting the Duramax). So in my case the truck would be my daily driver for work (driving 60 miles a day on the highway) and also be my overland truck on the weekends. I plan on pulling a small overlanding trailer with RTT and other accessories on the trailer. Obviously a 1/2 ton would handle all of that just fine, however in the future we will most likely be buying like a 24' camp trailer for the wife and kids. So with that being said the 3/4 ton would be able to handle that much easier. And there is potential I'd be taking that trailer with me cross country once (Idaho to Alabama and back).

So I want to know everyone's thoughts; should I just stick with the 1/2 ton since I wouldn't be towing a heavy load all that often? Or should I get the bigger truck?


I'm looking for something very similar to this, except this particular truck is the Duramax and I'd be looking at getting the 6.0l gas.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/1801-durable-duramax-a-chevy-2500hd-and-off-road-trailer-built-for-adventure/
I have a 2000 Silverado z71 also my daily and camping truck and I also pull a small 6x12 utility trailer when I need it and it does good but just pulling small cars and truck the 1500 does not like it! The 4l60e trans is not for pulling and the small trans cooler us almost useless on these trucks but u could upgrade to the trucool 40k cooler which is a popular upgrade but the trans is still junk! If looking to buy I would opt for the 2500 with the 4l80e trans but I already have the 1500 so if the trans goes out it's getting a built 4l80e. Just my own experience.[emoji106]20190708_142700.jpeg
 

Desert Runner

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Wow thanks for the info. So in talking about the front LSD/lockers for a 2500 what would I be looking for? How drastically would it limit my turning also? And would the turning be limited only when 4wd is engaged or all the time?
No clutch or friction LSD...........Only the gear driven True-Trac, and then see my caveat above.

Keep side to side turning to a minimum, and when using, the straighter your wheels are, the better.

Your steering would be limited when using the LOCKER, not regular 4x4....err........I mean..... 4x3 (open front diff). But remember when using just the 4x4 function, and no locker, you can still feel some binding at full-lock! The front locker will magnify that feel, along with greater strain on the components. True for straight axles also.

Watch some You-Tube vidios from Austrailia, where they use lockers in their vehicles.....both straight axels and IFS rigs. They seem to keep their turning radius while engaged to around 1/3. Something also, their rigs look to be at or above GVW.

the rule of thumb is that a front locker only adds about 15% greater traction. But when you need that 15%, you really need it. Thus for the mass majority of us, we will not need it (85%)

If you watch You-tube videos, you will notice something that SEASONED drivers do. That is, they apply a single band of colored tape at the 12 o'clock position on their steering wheels. This is a visual aid for ensuring your front wheels are straight, and not turned. This minimizes drag, when recoveries are being done, and helps the recovery process. It also is a reminder of how much steering input you have applied.

Hope this helps you, and that other readers will chime in on their experiences, or concerns. Finding actual users in GM trucks are very scarce, probably because of the IFS issue, and general hesitation to spend the $$$$ needed to answer the question in it's entirety.

If someone has taken the plunge, please by all means let the forum know your experiences, and what parts it took to get there.
 
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Pathfinder I

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Canada
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Craig
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PereferNotToSay
Something also, their rigs look to be at or above GVW.
Not to get us off topic but I recently learned on this very forum that Aussies have the ability to get an engineer to sign off on their upgraded rigs to increase GVWR officially, which is fine for insurance and registration and everything.They can also legally do extensive chassis extensions — I was watching a video the other day where Andrew St. Pierre-White was discussing his next build and he plans to add 1/2 a meter to the chassis of a Landcruiser. No such luxury that I’m aware of in North America (The GVW thing I mean, chassis mods are a thing though I am not sure how extensive you can go).

I think you are probably right that many are overloaded, just like many here are overloaded, but over there some might be legitimately and officially upgraded, which is really neat. I wish we could do that here!